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Liberal MPs Tim Owen and Andrew Cornwell quit after Icac admissions Liberal MPs Tim Owen and Andrew Cornwell quit after Icac admissions
(about 1 hour later)
NSW MPs Tim Owen and Andrew Cornwell have resigned from parliament after Owen admitted lying to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac). NSW MPs Tim Owen and Andrew Cornwell have resigned from parliament after Owen admitted lying to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Owen and Cornwell have both been questioned by Icac about whether they took illegal donations from property developers when they were Liberal MPs. They had stepped aside from the party and taken positions on the crossbench but the premier, Mike Baird, was pressured to boot them from parliament as Owen admitted lying to Icac. The former Liberal MPs have both been questioned by Icac about whether they took illegal donations from property developers. They had stepped aside from the party and taken positions on the crossbench but the premier, Mike Baird, was pressured to boot them from parliament after Owen admitted lying to Icac.
The NSW speaker, Shelley Hancock, announced the resignations to parliament just before question time on Tuesday. The NSW Speaker, Shelley Hancock, announced the resignations to parliament just before question time on Tuesday.
The resignations mean there will be byelections in the coming months in Newcastle and Charlestown.The resignations mean there will be byelections in the coming months in Newcastle and Charlestown.
NSW’s campaign finance laws, specifically political donations and public funding, are currently being examined by the former head of Sydney Water, Kerry Schott, with reforms expected in the wake of Icac revelations. The premier, Mike Baird, told Parliament everyone in NSW had the right to feel “appalled, angered and betrayed”.
Owen told Icac on Monday that either his campaign manager, Hugh Thomson, or the former NSW police minister Mike Gallacher arranged a $10,000 donation from from property developer Jeff McCloy in December 2010. The opposition leader, John Robertson, urged Baird to introduce full public funding of elections to remove the “corrosive influence of donations once and for all”.
He said the money had been returned to McCloy but then on Tuesday Owen said he and McCloy had an agreement to lie about the return of the money to the commission. Baird said the government had already taken action, launching reviews into donation rules and the governance of the Liberal party.
NSW’s finance laws, specifically political donations and public funding, are being examined by the former head of Sydney Water, Kerry Schott, with changes expected in the wake of Icac revelations.
Owen told Icac on Monday that either his campaign manager, Hugh Thomson, or the former NSW police minister Mike Gallacher had arranged a $10,000 donation from property developer and now Newcastle mayor Jeff McCloy in December 2010.
He said the money had been returned to McCloy – but on Tuesday said he and McCloy had an agreement to lie about the return of the money to the commission.
He admitted to Icac the money was actually “rolled into [his] campaign”.He admitted to Icac the money was actually “rolled into [his] campaign”.
Owen said he and McCloy, the current lord mayor of Newcastle, agreed on Sunday that Owen would tell Icac he was given about $2,000 by McCloy but returned it the next day. Owen said he and McCloy agreed on Sunday that Owen would tell Icac he was given about $2,000 by McCloy but returned it the next day.
Citing Owen’s evidence from Monday, McCloy’s lawyer asked, “if the words that follow ... ‘and then I went back to his house after that and basically dropped the envelope back in his letter box’,” were false.Citing Owen’s evidence from Monday, McCloy’s lawyer asked, “if the words that follow ... ‘and then I went back to his house after that and basically dropped the envelope back in his letter box’,” were false.
“Yes. It was,” the former deputy commander of the Australian forces in Afghanistan and Iraq said. “Yes. It was,” the former deputy commander of the Australian forces in Afghanistan and Iraq said. “You said, ‘I think I just put a little note on it that said no thanks,’ – that answer was false,” McCloy’s lawyer said.
“You said ‘I think I just put a little note on it that said no thanks’, that answer was false,” McCloy’s lawyer said.
Owen: “Correct.”Owen: “Correct.”
During the Sunday meeting the men also discussed whether McCloy should resign as the lord mayor of Newcastle, Icac heard.During the Sunday meeting the men also discussed whether McCloy should resign as the lord mayor of Newcastle, Icac heard.
Owen denied McCloy asked him to come clean about the cash. Owen denied McCloy had asked him to come clean about the cash. “You said, ‘My wife will divorce me. I’ve sworn on a stack of Bibles that I didn’t receive any money,’ ” McCloy’s lawyer said. “I didn’t say that to him, no,” Owen said.
“You said, ‘My wife will divorce me. I’ve sworn on a stack of bibles that I didn’t receive any money,” McCloy’s lawyer said.
“I didn’t say that to him, no,” Owen said.
Owen said he tried to make the statement on Monday afternoon but was cut off by counsel assisting the commission, Geoffrey Watson.Owen said he tried to make the statement on Monday afternoon but was cut off by counsel assisting the commission, Geoffrey Watson.
Cornwell admitted at Icac last week to receiving $20,000 from property developers and announced he would resign at next year’s election. He sought parliamentary leave after his appearance at the hearing.
He told Icac he had accepted $10,000 in a brown paper bag in a Bentley from McCloy, in the leadup to the 2011 election, despite there being a ban on developer donations.
He also confessed to using $10,000 from the sham sale of a Rex Newell painting to a property developer to pay his payroll tax bill.